Background: The Olive Garden location in Midland, Mich. (Google Maps). Inset: Robert Monit (Midland County Jail).
A Michigan man who was convicted of shooting his fiancee in the face at an Olive Garden in 2024 was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison.
Robert Monit, aged 42, was convicted by a jury of 10 felonies and one misdemeanor due to an incident that occurred on June 2, 2024, at an Italian chain restaurant. His fiancee, 42-year-old Melissa Guerra, was the victim in this case but later defended him in court, stating the shooting was unintentional. Despite her testimony, witnesses present in Midland, Michigan, reported seeing Monit attack Guerra, including one patron who heard him yell, “The stupid b— deserves to die,” before he assaulted her with the firearm.
Judge Michael Beale from Midland County Circuit Court sentenced Monit to a prison term ranging from 20 to 35 years. The verdict included charges such as assault with an intent to murder, aggravated domestic assault, multiple counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, along with various firearm-related felonies, plus a misdemeanor, as recorded in court documents.
Monit shot Guerra in the face, with the bullet hitting her left ear and exiting through her right eye.
The trial was covered by the Midland Daily News, featuring testimonies from Midland Police Department officers involved in Monit’s arrest following the shooting. These officers reported that Monit identified himself as “Satan” and exhibited aggressive behavior by cursing, biting, and spitting at them, all documented by body camera footage.
Among the witnesses were patrons from the restaurant. Erna Nash, dining with her sister and nephew at the Olive Garden, described seeing Monit wield a gun and discharge it. Initially, she thought it was a prank with a fake gun. Nash recounted hearing Monit shout, “The stupid b— deserves to die,” before watching him strike Guerra in the head with the weapon as she was smeared in blood.
Another Olive Garden diner, James Reau, testified that he saw that Monit “had the woman by her hair and was pistol-whipping her with his left hand.”
Despite being charged for not showing up in court, Guerra testified in favor of Monit, stating she could not recall either the shooting or beating, insisting Monit could not harm anyone. The defense for Monit and Guerra maintained that the shooting was accidental.
During Guerra’s testimony, as reported by the Midland Daily News, she mentioned that Monit was significantly troubled by her ex-husband. On the night of the Olive Garden incident, she explained that Monit suspected her ex-husband was going to harm them, believing he was in the restaurant’s parking lot. Monit even considered calling the police by dialing 911.
Reau had testified earlier that when he asked Monit why he shot Guerra, he answered, “They were going to kill me. They were waiting in the parking lot.”
Guerra testified that she did not know Monit was armed that night. She said “something changed” in him before the shooting, and she has not spoken to him since. Prosecutors claimed the couple went to the restaurant to break up, but Guerra denied this.
“We were two peas in a pod,” she told the court, “That’s my person.”
